Women’s voices in the Bangsamoro Experiences and expectations in conflict and peace Acknowledgements This publication is the joint effort of: Nisa Ul Haqq Fi Bangsamoro: Jurma Tikmasan, Fatima Allian, Dayang Bahidjan. United Youth of the Philippines-Women [UnYPhil-Women]: Noraida Abo, Sandra Abo, Frenz Laureta. Teduray Lambangian Women’s Organization (TLWOI): Froilyn Mendoza, Ronnie Ampok, Haydee Mokudef. Conciliation Resources: Paul Adolfo, Hana Kamid, Kristian Herbolzheimer, Tamanna Kalhar. Photography: Zabra Siwa Design and layout: www.revangeldesigns.co.uk The publication has been funded through the Human Rights and Democracy Fund of the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office. This work complements a wider project on building peace in Mindanao through public participation in governance, funded by the European Union. March 2016 Contents Our story 5 Of being on the frontline of armed conflict 6 Of armed conflict and being family of the frontliner 12 Of being caught in-between and escaping from conflict 22 Of choosing peace and challenging your own biases 40 Of daily realities and challenges beyond conflict 48 Key insights 60 Background developments 61 Ethnic groups in the Bangsamoro 62 Project background 63 3 WE ARE THE women OF BANGSAMORO and theSE are our StorieS to Share 4 Our story We are history’s witness to the Bangsamoro people’s struggle for self-determination and quest for peace. We experienced the political awakening of the Bangsamoro people, which gave birth to the Moro National Liberation Front [MNLF] and the Moro Islamic Liberation Front. We celebrated significant milestones of peace processes such as the Final Peace Agreement with the MNLF in 1996 and the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro in 2014. We suffered the emotional and physical burdens inflicted by the atrocities of the Martial Law in 1970s, All-Out War in 2000, the breakdown of the Memorandum of Agreement on Ancestral Domain in 2008 and the most recent infamous Mamasapano tragedy in 2014, among others. We are peacebuilders. We live each day to maintain peace and normalcy in our families and respective communities. We take leadership to overcome the challenges posed by our emerging realities. We inspire action and hope for the possibilities of a peaceful future. We are the women of the Bangsamoro – Lumad, Moro, Settlers – and these are our stories to share. 5 Of being on the frontline of armed conflict 6 PAGADIAN SOUTH UPI, MAGUINDANAO 7 “I was so mad and vowed to fight. How could I not join the MNLF when my family was nearly wiped out?” Hadja Aziza Tabayag 8 HADJA AZIZA TabayaG is a 72-year-old widow and former combatant from the village of Tapudok, Labangan, Zamboanga Sibugay. She is popularly known in her community as Omi – an Arabic term for mother. I remember that day in 1973 when the town mayor gathered us all together at an evacuation site near the municipal hall because of the critical situation brought about by Martial Law. At around five o’clock in the afternoon, we noticed the non-Muslims leaving the site, leaving behind even their cooked meals. At seven in the evening, the military indiscriminately started dropping bombs. One of the istok or mortar bombs hit us. My husband and four sons died on the spot. I couldn’t save them. We ran for our lives and I was only able to carry my two daughters with me. During that time, there were no Moro rebels in our community so I believe the mortars were intentionally dropped to kill us civilians. We evacuated to Kurmatan, Sultan Naga Dimaporo. It was a difficult situation for me being widowed. It was like passing through a needle’s eye but I had to stay strong in order to provide for my daughters. Aggrieved by my husband and sons’ deaths, I took up arms and joined the rebels for eight years. I became one of the women commanders of the Moro National Liberation Front [MNLF] and fought on the frontline with Chairman Nur Misuari and Muslimin Sema. Taking up arms was my way of coping with my loss. At the height of the conflict, I remember joining other women combatants with the men to fight back every time we were being attacked. I was on the military watch list and will never forget spending three months hiding in the mountains of Zamboanga with an escort who soon lost his sanity. Despite the hardship, I vowed not to surrender. When the Tripoli agreement was signed and the MNLF forces surrendered, I went to Taguig in Metro Manila. I stayed there for seven years and then came back here to serve my community. I was even elected as barangay chairperson. I still grieve for my loss. It is never easy to leave behind the past and whenever I think about it, the only way I can be at peace is to see my comrades and orphaned children reap the fruits of our struggle. We, the widows have been waiting a long time for the government to fulfil its promise and I can only hope that we will be treated justly and equally in spite of not having educational degrees. 9 ELSIE Benito TRAVILLA, 57, is a Teduray from Sitio Bahar, Barangay Pandan, South Upi, Maguindanao. She is popularly known as ‘Commander Ligaya’. Elsie’s family migrated to Sitio Bahar in the 1980s after being displaced from their area in Nangi, North Upi due to the conflict. Moro businessmen started migrating here to Bahar in 1986. We initially had a good relationship with them until some civilian armed men started extorting from us. We didn’t know if they were MNLF [Moro National Liberation Front] or MILF [Moro Islamic Liberation Front] but they fluently spoke Maguinadanaon. They would usually knock on our doors at midnight with their guns and ask for money or some produce. At one point there were five different commanders extorting from us. Their demands got bigger and bigger over time, to the point it was almost like we were working for them. That was the time when I decided to refuse them. As a consequence, we were ambushed. The most painful part of this was seeing my son, who had just graduated in elementary, being slaughtered in front of me. He was screaming for my name and I was helpless. I can’t forget what they said, “Kagina mategas ka ged, niya I sample sa leka” [“This is a sample for you because you are so hard-headed”]. We knew that our neighbours had conspired with the perpetrators. They left Bahar right after that incident. Another painful incident took place three months after we were ambushed. A group of armed men along with some of our Moro neighbours came back and burnt down almost all the houses except those owned by the Maguindanaons. I believe all of this was purposely done to displace us so they could illegally own our land. We reported what happened to the local government, police and town mayor but nothing happened. Pain and hate got the best of me. I almost went crazy for a year because of what happened. What kept me brave and strong was the fact that this is our ancestral land and that we have to fight for it even if it will cost our lives. I convinced people in the community to stay. We had nowhere to go so we chose to fight for what is ours. Years went by and the killings of our people continued until the Philippine marines were finally posted here in 2014. This is the only time after several years that we felt secure and at peace. We are not a notorious people. All we want is to be able to cultivate our lands peacefully so that we can provide for our families. The land conflict that we currently face with our neighbouring village continues to challenge us. We’ve already made concessions and all we ask for as natives in this area is to live peacefully and be given what is due to us. 10 “We are not notorious people. All we want is to be able to cultivate our lands peacefully so we can provide for our family.” Elsie Benito Travilla 11 Of armed conflict and being family of the frontliner 12 PAGADIAN SOUTH UPI, MAGUINDANAO TAWI TAWI 13 “I hope the Comprehensive Agreement on the Bangsamoro will be implemented otherwise history might repeat itself. Not all the children are like us who opted to finish our education. If the agreement will not be implemented, I fear that some children will also follow the path that their fathers took.” Amina Aban 14 AMINA ABAN is a 27-year-old volunteer at the Bangsamoro Development Agency (BDA), Zamboanga Peninsula. She is a member of the Kalibugan tribe. I am the daughter of Commander Agila of the MILF [Moro Islamic Liberation Front]. My mother said father joined the movement because he saw how our grandfather was butchered by the military. My father died as a martyr in Camp Salman during the All-Out War in the year 2000. We grew up without him by our side. In fact, I only met him three times in my life. He was cutting down bamboos when I first met him and he was joking about how bamboo cutting brought good money. I was very shy and felt awkward but mother kept on pushing me to approach him. Despite his physical absence, he has always been there for us. He constantly wrote us letters, which my siblings and I took turns to read to our mother. As the years went by, we learned to skip the bad news so as to keep mother smiling and happy.